{"id":29147,"date":"2019-02-22T18:34:31","date_gmt":"2019-02-22T10:34:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/?p=29147"},"modified":"2021-08-18T16:07:01","modified_gmt":"2021-08-18T08:07:01","slug":"windows-10-privacy-tips-tricks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/windows-10-privacy-tips-tricks\/","title":{"rendered":"15 Ways to Strengthen Your Privacy in Windows 10"},"content":{"rendered":"

Windows 10<\/a> is popular for several reasons<\/strong> including the criticism on some of its features that violate or threaten your privacy. Cortana<\/a>, though highly useful at times, seeks too much personal information<\/strong> about you like any other personal digital assistant<\/a> in the market.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not all, Windows 10 has <\/strong>various built-in sharing, feedback and telemetry features<\/strong> that share the user\u2019s information with other partiesbarsay your friends or Microsoft<\/a> itself. Most people, however, are sensitive about their privacy and like to control their personal data<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tRead Also:<\/strong>\u00a0\n\t\t\t\t\tHow to Access Windows 10 Boot Options Menu (6 Ways)<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why, in this article, we\u2019re sharing various tips and tricks to help you disable data spies, claim back your <\/strong>privacy<\/a><\/strong> <\/strong>and control your data yourself<\/strong> in Windows 10.<\/p>\n

Turn off advertisements<\/h2>\n

Windows 10, like Android and iOS, shows advertisements in apps as well as on the web pages. Cookie spies follow you everywhere<\/strong> on the web <\/strong>and Microsoft displays personalized advertisements using your data collected from many such spies. There\u2019s an option, luckily, to disable these ads and keep your data private<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Click the Start<\/strong> button. Go to Settings<\/strong> > Privacy<\/strong> > General<\/strong> > Change privacy options<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
  2. Toggle off \"Let apps use my advertising ID for experience across apps<\/strong>\".<\/li>\n
    \"Change<\/figure>\n<\/ol>\n

    Opt out of personalized ads<\/h2>\n

    Microsoft assigns a unique, anonymous and user-resettable advertising ID<\/strong> to all its users. This ID is used to track your web usage and help the advertisers to display ads based on your interests<\/strong> throughout the Internet. You can, however, perform these steps to stop the tracking of your web usage and other data in the browsers:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Open this link in each browser: https:\/\/account.microsoft.com\/privacy\/ad-settings\/signedout?ru=https:%2F%2Faccount.microsoft.com%2Fprivacy%2Fad-settings<\/a>.<\/li>\n
    2. Toggle off these two options in each browser: \"Personalized ads in this browser<\/strong>\" and \"Personalized ads wherever I use my Microsoft account<\/strong>\".<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Note:<\/strong> Do remember to turn on cookies and turn off ad blockers, else this option won\u2019t work.<\/p>\n

      \"Opt<\/figure>\n

      Disable Cortana & taskbar search<\/h2>\n

      Cortana offers various useful services but collects lots of your data<\/strong> to provide you excellent suggestions and search results. If you limit yourself from using such cloud services and don\u2019t want your personal data to reach the cloud<\/strong> (even anonymously), then follow these steps:<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Open Cortana. Go to Settings<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
      2. Toggle off all the options shown in Settings including but not limited to \"Hey Cortana<\/strong>\", \"My device history<\/strong>\", and \"My search history<\/strong>\".<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Note:<\/strong> You won\u2019t be able to utilize Cortana\u2019s smart features after you turn these features off.<\/p>\n

        \"Disable<\/figure>\n

        Manage what Cortana knows<\/h2>\n

        Microsoft stores all the information gathered about you by its apps<\/strong>. Contrary to one\u2019s belief, turning off Cortana doesn\u2019t delete the old information stored in the cloud. There\u2019s an option, however, to remove the saved data<\/strong>, which you can do by going through these steps:<\/p>\n

          \n
        1. Open Cortana. Go to Settings<\/strong> >\"Change what Cortana knows about me in the cloud<\/strong>\".<\/li>\n
        2. Scroll to the bottom of the new window and click the Clear<\/strong> button.<\/li>\n
        3. Click the following links to clear search history, favorites and more: \"Bing Maps<\/strong>\", \"Search History page<\/strong>\" and \"the notebook connected services page<\/strong>\".<\/li>\n
          \"Change<\/figure>\n
        4. In the Cortana\u2019s window, click on the Notebook icon<\/strong> and go to Permissions<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
        5. Click the link \"Manage everything Cortana can see and use<\/strong>\" and toggle off the following options: \"Location<\/strong>\", \"Contacts, email, calendar, & communication history<\/strong>\" and \"Browsing history<\/strong>\".\n
          \"Manage<\/figure>\n<\/li>\n
        6. Click on the link \"Speech, inking, & typing privacy settings<\/strong>\".<\/li>\n
        7. In the new window, under \"Getting to Know You<\/strong>\", click on \"Stop Getting to Know Me<\/strong>\".<\/li>\n
          \"Stop<\/figure>\n<\/ol>\n

          Disable Wi-Fi Sense<\/h2>\n

          Microsoft initially designed the Wi-Fi Sense feature for sharing of network passwords with peers and friends, but now the password sharing feature is disabled<\/strong>. Its current function is to suggest and connect to open Wi-Fi hotspots <\/strong>within your range using the crowdsourced information. If you need to disable the same for stronger security, just follow these steps:<\/p>\n

            \n
          1. Click the Start<\/strong> button. Go to Settings<\/strong> > Network & Internet<\/strong> > Wi-Fi<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
          2. Under Wi-Fi Sense<\/strong>, toggle off the option \"Connect to suggested open hotspots<\/strong>\".<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
            \"Wi-Fi<\/figure>\n

            Note:<\/strong> If you wish to stop Wi-Fi Sense users from connecting to your Wi-Fi network, append \"_optout<\/strong>\" to its SSID. For example, if it\u2019s \"mynetwork<\/strong>\", then change it to \"mynetwork_optout\"<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

            Disable OneDrive Sync<\/h2>\n

            Microsoft\u2019s OneDrive is a cloud storage service <\/strong>that comes pre-loaded in Windows 10. This eases storing and sharing files from any device<\/strong>, but it backs up all your user data if it\u2019s enabled. That\u2019s why it\u2019s better to turn it off<\/strong> if you\u2019re not a fan of OneDrive and don\u2019t use it as your primary cloud storage.<\/p>\n

            Here\u2019s how to do it:<\/p>\n

              \n
            1. In the system tray, click the up-facing arrow present on the right side.<\/li>\n
            2. Right-click the OneDrive app icon. Select Settings<\/strong> option.<\/li>\n
            3. Uncheck the two options: \"Start OneDrive automatically when I sign in to Windows<\/strong>\" and \"Let me use OneDrive to fetch any of my files on this PC<\/strong>\".<\/li>\n
            4. Click OK<\/strong> to save the settings.<\/li>\n
              \"OneDrive<\/figure>\n<\/ol>\n

              Manage Privacy Options<\/h2>\n

              A few other privacy-invading features send data to Microsoft<\/strong> when you visit URLs, type using the on-screen keyboard, use apps, etc. If turned off, these less critical features will have small effect on the user experience<\/strong> hence, it\u2019s better to turn off such options to improve your privacy in Windows 10. Follow these steps to turn off these options:<\/p>\n

                \n
              1. Click the Start<\/strong> button. Go to Settings<\/strong> > Privacy<\/strong> > General<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
              2. Under Change privacy options<\/strong>, toggle off two options: \"Send Microsoft info about how I write to help us improve typing and writing in the future<\/strong>\" and \"Let websites provide locally relevant content by accessing my language list<\/strong>\".<\/li>\n
                \"Change<\/figure>\n
              3. Toggle off all listed features like Camera<\/strong>, Microphone<\/strong>, Contacts<\/strong>, Calendar<\/strong>, etc.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                Configure Microsoft Edge<\/h2>\n

                Microsoft Edge<\/a> has data-gathering features<\/strong> like scanning typed URLs, logging keystrokes for typing prediction, integrating Cortana for personalized results and more. These features speed up your browsing and enhance the overall experience. It\u2019s suggested to turn off such features<\/strong> if Edge is not your primary browser or you don\u2019t use or require such features in Edge. Below are the steps to disable such features:<\/p>\n

                  \n
                1. Open Edge. Click on menu icon (three dots) on the top right.<\/li>\n
                2. Choose Settings<\/strong> > View Advanced Settings<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
                  \"Microsoft<\/figure>\n
                3. In the new window, toggle off \"Use Adobe Flash Player<\/strong>\".<\/li>\n
                4. Under Privacy and services<\/strong>,<\/em> toggle off the following:<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n